Cineversity

Hi - I’m trying to make a Kelp farm. I’ve created a stalk of kelp using a dynamic spline that has been sweeped. I’m attaching a hair object to the sweep to generate the leaves. I need to put this model into a cloner object so I can animated density changes in the farm. But when I drop the model in the hair doesn’t clone. What’s the deal?

Hi Zorpzero,

Please try this (—> see image). Keep in mind that some Hair - functionality might get lost when things are clones.

All the best

Sassi

Thanks for the quick reply. I do have it set up that way. I’ve attached the file so you can see what I’ve done.

I see, thanks for the file, Zorpzero. 

To follow your idea, I would clone the Spline and make the Cloner Object editable, then place the tags and the Sweep as well the hair together. Would that work for you?

Best :o)

Sassi

If I make the cloner object editable then I won’t be able to animated the density of the kelp forest. In the end I want to be able to animate the number of clones to a higher number and animate the distance in the spacing between the clones.

Good to know more details—which changes my idea how to set it up. So, here is the way I would do it, with absolute control (if you like down to a single leave>MoGraph selections)

I would not have started with Hair in the first place, to be honest, but that is perhaps a personal preference. It is certainly a good idea to explore that Module as deep as possible. However: I found that Hair has, as before, some limitations, and I like to have control as well my options open.

If you like to grow the “farm” you might introduce some XPresso to the “MoGraph” grid, so it grows without jumping plants, or you set up a different way to “multiply” the clones.

(BTW, I have used of course a little “post” on the image, to have the light more in teh way I like to have it, just a little bit, one minute. For a production I would invest more time in color grading of course.) Besides that—particles—will help to “sell” the shot, very slowly moving back and waving back a little etc.

My best wishes for your exploration.

Sassi

Thank you. This is an interesting workaround. I think I was stuck on having the system be dynamic that I wasn’t thinking of other ways to accomplish this. It really doesn’t have to be dynamic either I just thought it would be cool and couldn’t think farther then that. With some tweaks for look I think what you came up with will work really well. Thank you for your help!

Thanks for the feedback, Zorpzero.

I think we all have different ideas how to get something done. My idea was to show you my idea, as an alternative, as I believe that there always many ways to get it done.

With Hair, I would have tried (perhaps) to stay as long in spline production, or something else. If you have time, explore it more! Yesterday I checked as well if “Instance” would work. (Which is a quite powerful option, especially with dynamics—I played once with it and placed a building in the Instance field, and got a wobbly city! Pure fun).

I like dynamics a lot, but to use them always as first thing is perhaps only one way to projects in C4D. I like control as a film-maker, and dynamics have their own mind and each little change follows the “Chaos Theory” to a certain degree, which means less control. I do not think that anything is wrong or right, it is a mix among the artist, the project and the application (perhaps the time we life in as well/culture, etc.) To exclude something might not be a good idea to start with. If there was at all a “mood” presented from my side, that I made the use of Hair wrong, I hope I could clear that.

Speaking of art and procedures, you might introduce something like a “cucaloris” (or simple: cookie) above the water to “fake” some caustics.

Have a great day

Sassi